SPECIAL UNION EDITION

April 2016Volume 49, Number 8American Federationof School Administrators,AFL-CIO Local 1

NEWSCOUNCIL OF SCHOOL SUPERVISORS AND ADMINISTRATORS

BY CHUCK WILBANKS

On March 29, the U.S.Supreme Court handed down anevenly split decision in the caseof Friedrichs vs. CaliforniaTeachers Association. Such adeadlocked vote means thatlower court rulings will stand,upholding the rights of unionsto collect fees from employeeswho benefit from collective bar-gaining. Even those who don’tjoin the union.

So, public sector unions suchas CSA have avoided what surelywould have been a mortal injury.And more than ever, the out-come raises the importance ofthe choice of who the country’snext president will be.

After the death of JusticeAntonin Scalia, the 4-4 rulingwas not a surprise. During oralarguments heard in January,Scalia was among the conserva-tive Justices who appeared readyto accept the premise of the case:

that collecting agency fees fromreluctant employees violates theirFirst Amendment rights by forc-ing them to pay for politicalspeech.

The Center for IndividualRights, which sought out theplaintiffs in the Friedrichs caseand whose lawyers argued it, isfunded by anti-union billionairesincluding the Koch brothers.Terry Pell, the group’s director,has pledged to seek a rehearingof the case. The outcome of such

a gambit, as well as other poten-tial legal challenges on the fed-eral level, will hinge on who ulti-mately replaces Scalia on theCourt. Other right-wing activists,perhaps anticipating a loss by theRepublican party in November,say the fight will now play outin state legislatures.

Under that scenario, theywould hope to follow in the foot-steps of union-busting GovernorScott Walker of Wisconsin,whose “right-to-work” legislation

has led to a massive exodus fromunion rolls.

At least in the short term, theassault may have backfired forthe anti-union crowd. “Theattacks on our unions are goingto continue, but this case focusedour attention, and we’re re-ener-gized now,” said CSA PresidentErnest Logan after the decision.“We will continue to make ourvoices heard, and stand in soli-darity with other unions acrossthe country.”

BY CHUCK WILBANKS

From the sausage making factory inAlbany comes a new budget with flavorsto please and repel nearly everyone.

The overall education component ofthe state budget is $24.8 billion, a boostof $1.5 billion. That includes a $627 mil-

lion increase in so-called foundation aid.While any increase is welcome, thebudget hike failed again to catch up withthe sums dictated by the Campaign forFiscal Equity lawsuit, which wouldrequire an infusion of nearly $4.5 billion.

“Knowing the way these negotiationsgo back and forth, overall I’d say we didOK,” said CSA Executive Vice PresidentMark Canizzarro.

Community schools, with everything

from after school counseling to healthcare services, got a funding boost of$175 million. Gov. Cuomo had soughtonly $100 million. CSA had not soughta specific number but had urged steepincreases.

Charter schools around the state willget $54 million more this year, morethan the governor sought and an unfor-tunate boost when so many traditionalpublic schools are scratching for money.The hike is proportional on a percentagebasis to the increase in foundation aid.

The budget failed to include any rem-edy for budget problems experienced byunionized charter schools, whose admin-istrators are represented by CSA. Pensionand health insurance costs have risendramatically in recent years, and cannow comprise 12% to 22% of the entireoperating budget for each school.

The budget also did not fund theDream Act, popular in New York Citybut not around the state, which wouldhave allowed undocumented immigrantswho graduate from high school to applyfor state financial aid for college. CSAhad also supported that initiative.

Continued on Page 13

From Dilapidated Trailers,Lessons In Adaptation

Special Education

CHUCK WILBANKS

n Donny Swanson, Assistant Principal at PS 37R in Great Kills, StatenIsland, shows the bottom of a cardboard chair, already several years old,and still in use. The school’s students manufacture furniture and otheradaptive design aids out of cardboard for schools around the city. 5

Cannizzaro:Attacks MakeUs Stronger4

CSA: It took‘Blood, Sweatand Tears.’8-9

One of OursStarts a Unionin New Jersey3

ChronologicalHistory of theUnion’s Start11

State Budget: The Good,the Bad, and the So-So

SUPREME COURT

With Blow to Friedrichs Case,Energized Unions Await Next Battle

Increases are welcome,but hikes fail to catchup with ‘Campaign forFiscal Equity’ sums.

CSA NEWS 2 April 2016

Council of SchoolSupervisors & Administrators

American Federation of SchoolAdministrators, AFL-CIO, Local 1

40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006Phone: (212) 823-2020Fax: (212) 962-6130www.csa-nyc.org

PresidentErnest A. Logan

Executive Vice President Mark Cannizzaro

First Vice President Randi Herman, Ed.D

TreasurerHenry Rubio

SecretarySandy DiTrapani

Vice PresidentsDebra Handler

Lois LeeChris Ogno

Ronald WilliamsNancy Russo, Retiree Chapter

Executive Director OperationsErminia Claudio

General Counsel David Grandwetter

Comptroller Phil Fodera

Executive Director Field ServicesSana Q. Nasser

Field Directors Juanita Bass, Stephen Bennett,Mildred Boyce, James Harrigan, Christine Martin, Daisy O’Gorman,

Mercedes Qualls

Assistant Field DirectorsEleanor Andrew, Mauro Bressi, Laverne Burrowes, Kenneth LlinasCharles Dluzniewski, Nancy Esposito, Aura Gangemi, Ellie Greenberg, Ray Gregory, Robert Jeanette,

Kate Leonard, Monica McDonald, Dorothy Morris, Ralph Santiago,

Shelli Sklar, Wanda Soto, MaryAnn Tucker, George Young

Grievance DirectorRobert J. Reich

Assistant DirectorsCarol Atkins, Alex Castillo, Ed. DRobert Colon, Jermaine Garden Marlene Lazar, Ph.D, Steve Rosen

Director of CommunicationsClem Richardson

Assistant Director of CommunicationsCorey Bachman

Director of Political AffairsHerman Merritt

Assistant Director of Political AffairsGabe Gallucci

Assistant DirectorJohn Khani

Special Assistant to PresidentGary Goldstein

CSA Conference ChairPierre Lehmuller

CSA HistorianManfred Korman

CSA Retiree ChapterGayle Lockett, ChairMark Brodsky, Director

CSA NEWSEditor Chuck Wilbanks

Associate Editor Maria Smith

Design Consultant Michele Pacheco

Production Assistant Christine Altman

CSA News (004-532) is publishedmonthly except July and August for$35 per year per member by CSA, 40Rector St., NY, NY 10006. Periodicalpostage paid at Manhattan, NY, andadditional mailing offices. POSTMAS-TER: Send address changes to CSANews, 40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006.

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

Here I am a union leader scratch-ing my head over the greatestshow on earth, the 2016 presi-dential primary, where twounlikely characters have shot to

prominence with a populist message thatsounds like it’s out of an organized laborplaybook. "The middle class is getting clob-bered in this country,” Donald Trump tellsangry supporters in tones reminiscent of acarnival barker. “You know the middle classbuilt this country, not the hedge fund guys."Bernie Sanders sounds like a 1960s campusfirebrand: “You have seen a massive transferof wealth from the middle class to the topone-tenth of one percent,” he says. “We’vegot to transfer that back if we’re going tohave a vibrant middle class.” These messageshave taken both candidates farther than weever imagined. But what Sanders has acknowledged and Trumphas not (and never will) is the central role that unions playedin the growth of the middle class. In fact, steady declines inunion membership have mirrored the shrinking of the middleclass, as workplace and financial security have become evermore tenuous for growing numbers of people. Our country hasnever needed unions more.

I’m proud to be a unionist and our union’s first AfricanAmerican president and to have the perspective of someonewho was born far from the middle class. For that reason, I

have an enormous appreciation of what unions can do. Asunions go, CSA is small, born out of several professional associa-tions in 1962, and granted an AFL-CIO charter in 1971, but wewield real influence. We have a long catalogue of accomplish-ments. Just recently, CSA won a State Supreme Court rulingwhereby tenured educators are no longer required to testifyagainst themselves in investigations and, thus, we’ve benefitedevery educator in the state. Through collaboration with AFSA,we’ve gained federal support for administrators’ professionaldevelopment in the ESEA Reauthorization. And on city, state andfederal levels, we campaign for the election of lawmakers whosupport public education, and our voices are heard.

But in terms of the nitty-gritty, we have effectively used ourinfluence to secure our economic well-being. At a recent union

meeting, I was moved when a member stoodup and said that without CSA her childrenmight not have had medical care or collegeeducations. As more of the American work-force slips below the middle class, we havemaintained our advantages, including theability to retire with dignity. Our retirementbenefits are enviable, and even better if youjoin the Retiree Chapter. So, from where westand, we may not stop to consider that from1979 to 2012, the middle class shrank bymore than 10 percentage points to 45% of thepopulation while union membership slid bymore than one half, from 24 percent of allworkers to 11 percent.* (See charts on page 8)Until power is restored to workers, salaries willcontinue to decline as corporate profits soar.

As a union member, I am part of something bigger thanmyself. At every CSA gathering, I’m struck by the diversethinkers who come together to achieve a common pur-

pose. This impresses me more now that I’m witnessing thehopelessly fractious behavior of presidential candidates, espe-cially the Republicans. I’ve seen behavior in the GOP debatesthat I haven’t seen since I was a middle school principal breakingup fights. At our union, it doesn’t matter how contentious thedisagreements, all factions will give and take and emerge unitedlike a family. Our family extends far beyond our own union to

our national union, AFSA, and to our federation of labor organi-zations, the AFL-CIO, and it includes other closely affiliated labor

groups (see circle on p. 9). Think of what the larger labor

movement stands for and beproud. Collectively, we raise ourvoices on important social issuesand on behalf of those who aren’tunionized. I mean issues like uni-versal pre-K and the minimumwage for all workers. TheRepublican presidential candidateshave been ranting about incomeinequality and the plight of themiddle class, but if a Republicanwins, the solutions will be awholesale clampdown on immi-grants and more “trickle down”tax breaks for corporations. AnyDemocrat who wins will do a lotmore for income equality if theyfeel the labor movement’s breathon the back of their necks. Ibelieve that organized labor hasalways been the loudest voice foreconomic justice and that we’rethe strongest bulwark against thegreed of the one percent.

*International Business Times,10/20/15

• • •

• • •

We are the Bulwark Against the Greed of the 1%. By Ernest A. Logan

We Need Unions Now More Than Ever

Steady declines in union membershiphave mirrored the shrinking of themiddle class, as workplace and financial security have become more tenuous than ever for growingnumbers of people.

n CSAExecutive VicePresident MarkCannizarro,Simone A.Nicholas,Principal ofP.S./M.S. 43Q,and CSAPresidentErnest Loganenjoy amoment ofcamaraderie atthe MiddleSchoolPrincipal’sAssociationannual confer-ence in earlyMarch.

Middle School Principal’s Association

BY CHUCK WILBANKS

Many people know Mark Brodsky as thehead of this union’s Retiree Unit. But he alsomoonlights as a labor organizer outside ofCSA. His long career as a New York City edu-cator and union official helped prepare himfor a leadership role in a battle in neighboringNew Jersey – organizing adjunct professorswho teach at community colleges around thestate. In a recent conversation with CSANews’s Chuck Wilbanks, Mark recounted theevents that led to some much needed improve-ments in the lives of these hard-working andunder-compensated educators.

I was and am an adjunct at EssexCounty College in Newark. About tenyears ago, the American Federation ofTeachers, on the national level, came upwith the concept of organizing adjuncts.They put informational cards in people’smailboxes asking if we were interested instarting a union. The light bulb went onin my head and I said, “Sure!”

I have unionism in my blood, and theadjuncts had been making $500 a creditfor 12 years without a raise. So it reallywas about time we attempted to do some-thing about it. Originally there were eightof us who began organizing, then a stal-wart three.

At first, the administration wouldn’teven let us meet on campus. We had toget a room at Rutgers Newark, right nextdoor. First we needed to know that at leastthe three of us starting it were dedicatedto making this happen, and we were. Thenwe had to get signatures by as manyadjuncts as we could. Once we got morethan 50 percent of them to sign, the PublicEmployee Relations Commission in NewJersey granted us the right to start a local.

Once we formed the union, we neededto solicit adjuncts to join. Adjuncts, beingat-will employees who work one semester,then don’t work, or work and don’t getinvited back. Many of them piece theirlivelihoods together teaching at the manycolleges around New Jersey. We did even-tually get enough people to sign. So it wasnine years ago that the Essex CountyCollege Adjunct Faculty Federation cameinto being.

After 18 months, we negotiated a con-

tract, and although the administrationclaimed to have no money, as they alwaysdo, we managed to get a three-year con-tract with raises of 10 percent, 6 percentand 5 percent. Which was monumental.

We next spent a year renegotiating asecond contract that gave us raises of fourpercent each year for three years. That wasalso monumental. Right now we’re 20months into negotiating our third contract.

As the treasurer, I’m involved in thenegotiations. The president, LynneCummins, spends a lot of time on this.John Smith is the vice president. Rightnow there are 207 full-time union mem-bers. As of last week, there were 460 eligi-ble adjuncts, but to join the union youhave to work for two semesters. The peo-ple who didn’t join are paying agency fees.

We spent a year negotiating the secondcontract, and we got retroactive money offour percent. In some cases it meant onlyfew hundred dollars to a member, but itwas great. They almost carried us on theirshoulders. I felt really, really good.

Plus I’m able to bring what I’ve gleanedin my career here. So for example I waschair of the grievance committee and I’vebeen able to share what I learned in thatjob.

We are at-will employees, so we getvery few grievances. But there are thingsin our contract, like if they offer you aclass, and then you go and meet, and theycancel the class, you still get paid for the

rest of the semester -- as long as you metonce.

There are no medical benefits, but we’venegotiated other important issues. We hadno offices, so meeting with the studentsmeant meeting at a huge table in a hugeroom. That’s how we would hold officehours! We were able to negotiate anadjunct room in every department.

Or how about this: If you needed tohave something copied, you had to submita form and wait five days. It was prehis-toric! Can you imagine, you’re giving atest and you’re one exam short? We gotthat changed.

Some adjuncts are retired or have otherjobs, but many of them have to do it tomake ends meet. And they don’t even getparking, which can be very costly. We’retrying to get them reduced parking.

The use of adjuncts is a national trend.At Essex County College, 70 percent ofteachers are adjuncts. There are 19 com-munity colleges in New Jersey, so we’veunited 10 of them. We represent morethan 3,000 adjuncts around the state.

Getting the union started was a bigaccomplishment. Even just being able toexpedite something as small as havingcopies made is meaningful. But the retromoney made a big difference. All of a sud-den people got a check and were asking,“Why did I get this check?” They werethrilled. It’s because they’re part of aunion.

CSA NEWS 3April 2016

)COMINGEVENTSEvents are at CSA’s ManhattanHeadquarters, 40 Rector Street

unless otherwise noted. (APRIL 20, 8 AM: SBSITraining Series II;Training for RenewalCoaches

APRIL 21, 3:30 PM: APIFacilitation Meeting

APRIL 26, 9 AM: EarlyChildhood GeneralMeeting

APRIL 27 & 28, 8 AM: SSPWorkshop

MAY 3, 9 AM: ExecutiveLeadership Institute

MAY 4, 8 AM: SBSITraining Series I

MAY 4, 1 PM: CSA/NYPDSchool Safety

MAY 6, 7 AM: ALPAPSeminar #8

Please confirm the abovemeeting times and dates withthe event coordinator beforeattending.

Teachers’ Retirement

SystemMarch 2015 Unit Values

Diversified Equity Fund: 72.947

Bond Fund: 17.339

International Equity Fund: 8.604

Inflation Protection Fund: 9.671

Socially Responsive Equity Fund: 13.465

www.trsnyc.org

Honey, I Started a Union: Adjunctsin NJ Organized by One of Our Own

CHUCK WILBANKS

n On March 23, Director of CSA Retiree Chapter Mark Brodsky joined in a show of solidarity with organized labor in New York city at an eventcommemorating the anniversary of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

CORRECTIONSIn the Feb. 2016 CSA News

obituaries, we incorrectly statedthat Mary Gorzegno retired asPrincipal of PS 36 on StatenIsland. Mrs. Gorzegno retired asAP from PS 36 in 1991. We regretthe error.

In Bob Reich’s March column“Playing by the Rules,” the visi-tor’s protocol is mandated by theDOE’s School Safety Plan, whichis required by state law. We erro-neously stated that it comes fromthe NYPD’s School Safety AgentDuty and Responsibilities Manual.We regret the error.

MOONLIGHTING

Get Your Free Natter’s ‘Bluebook’

NAME

HOMEADDRESS

PHONENUMBER E-MAIL

Mail coupon by June 30 to: CSA c/o Miata Jones, 40 Rector St., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10006or e-mail miata@csa-nyc.org

(Only one book per member. We may be unable to accommodate requests after June 30.)

CSA NEWS4 April 2016

What theunionbustersfear themost areinformed,unified,fearlessworkers.

From Rector Street Mark Cannizzaro

Most people acknowledge thatthe middle class is the back-bone of America and that therise of unions has played acritical role in the growth of

the middle class. The horrors of the TriangleShirtwaist Factory fire, child labor, low payand poor working conditions were met byorganized works forces with demands for aneight hour day, weekends off, overtime payfor hours worked beyond the workday/work-week, safe working conditions, childcareleave, health benefits and the opportunityfor a dignified retirement. What employerswho were opposed to union demands didnot realize at the time is that those benefitsnot only helped to grow the middle class,they also created more consumers eligible topurchase goods and services from these samebusiness owners.

In other words, the rise of unions andthe middle class was and is a win, win.

Today we often hear the rhetoric thatUnions were necessary years ago but are nolonger necessary and, in fact, only existtoday to protect the weak. This argument isas false and misleading today as it was in theearly 1900’s. Unions continue to make surethat laws and workplace policies are adheredto, that benefits including livable wages,healthcare and pensions are maintained,that worker’s rights are protected, and, inthe case of CSA in particular, that someoneintercedes when management makes us lessproductive.

The union fighting for greater productionis contrary to what some would like the pub-lic to perceive. The truth is that our membersembrace hard work and accountability. Theyjust don’t want to spin their wheels dealingwith unnecessary paperwork, computer pro-grams that don’t work, visitors who can’t orwon’t offer legitimate feedback, and myriadother ill-advised policies and poorly plannedprograms that have nothing to do with stu-dents but make our challenging jobs moredifficult. As a result, this union often advo-cates for ways to make our members moreproductive which should, in theory, thrillour bosses. This is another win, win.

Although amped up recently, Unionshave been under attack for a long time. Inhis book, ‘Confessions of a Union Buster,’Marty Levit writes that union busters workto discredit unions and divide their mem-bers in order to control them. For example,in the ‘Friedrichs v California TeachersAssociation’ case, the real plaintiffs solicitedteachers to file a case against their ownUnion as part of a carefully choreographed,multi-year effort to destroy unions in thiscountry. Add to this the lie promulgated toparents and the general public that unionrules are harming their children’s futuresand we have not only a full court press tobreak us, but also a total abdication ofresponsibility by many of those ultimatelyresponsible for making sure children areproperly educated and others who stand togain financially.

These attacks on us also served as anopportunity to divert the public’sattention from the economic crisis of

2008, a crisis many of our attackers played amajor role in creating. To hear them tell it, itwas your salary and benefits and not sub-prime lending that caused the greatestdownturn in the US economy since theGreat Depression. Brilliant on their end!

It wasn’t long ago that we were respectedand admired for the work we do under suchdifficult conditions.

We must and we will use these attacks tounify us and make us stronger. Our detrac-tors have made it clear that we need to do abetter job reminding our members that weare stronger together, of the gains made, thegive backs thwarted and that we must seek

even more input from membership as wemove forward. Union buster Marty Levitmade clear that the thing he feared most wasan informed, unified, and fearless union.

Iwas so very proud of the unified front ourmembers took in our last contract negoti-ation. Members who had little to gain

waited patiently as our contract negotiationsdragged on. While the city negotiators gam-bled that time would be their ultimateweapon and that we would eventually turnon each other, we stood patiently andstrong so that gains for some of us wouldnot result in losses for others. As a result ofour unified front, everyone gained from themost recent collective bargaining agree-ment. Everyone received or will receive theirback pay. Educational Administrators werefinally shown some respect. Enhancementsto the use of sick time, flexible annualleave/holiday scheduling and flexible work-ing hours were won. Costly increases to ourhealth plan were averted and the rights ofsupervisors in excess were protected.

These victories, as well as the many oth-ers kept out of the spotlight and negotiatedbehind the scenes, are only possible whenwe trust each other, stay unified and main-tain credibility with those directly involvedin our school communities.

We are much better off collectively andindividually as a union than we would beon our own! Our students and families arebetter off when we are able to speak outagainst policies that harm them! We will usethe attacks against us as a rallying cry. Ourcritics won’t destroy us and they havealready begun to make us stronger!

Our founders started this union in 1962and many risked their jobs in order to do so.They began addressing untenable condi-tions almost immediately and we are thebeneficiaries. We owe much to them, as ourwork environments are far better than thoseof most of our colleagues around theCountry. We are responsible for the future,the path to which we see clearly because westand on the shoulders of our founders.

Attacks On Our Unionism Will Make Us Stronger

• • •

• • •

The ‘Friedrichs’ case wasa carefully choreographedmulti-year effort to destroyunions in this country.

Manhattan AssistantPrincipal to Embarkon Iceland Expedition

HeatherPage, anAssistantPrincipal at theHigh School ofEconomics andFinance inManhattan, hasbeen selected asa 2016 LindbladExpeditionsand NationalGeographicGrosvenorTeacher Fellow.Ms. Page is one

of only 35 educators from the UnitedStates and Canada to receive the honor.

Ms. Page has traveled extensively onher own and volunteered her time overthe last ten years to bring students toEastern and Western Europe, South

Pacific, Central and South America.Later this year, Ms. Page will embark

on an 11-day Lindblad voyage toIceland with Lindblad-NationalGeographic expedition experts.

“I hope my adventures in Icelandthis summer will inspire my students tobecome global citizens and environ-mental stewards who will eventuallyembark on their own journeys,” shesaid.

Upcoming at ABENY:Annual Event andScholarship Award

The Association of Black Educators ofNew York’s (ABENY’s) April generalmembership meeting will take place onApril 17 from 3 - 6 pm at the BedfordYMCA at 1121 Bedford Avenue inBrooklyn. The professional topic is"Supporting the Emotional Health andEmotional Growth of our Youth." Theguest speaker will be Dr. Jo-Ann J.Joyner, Director of Counseling and

Psychological Services at Medgar EversCollege, CUNY. She will be joined byother experts in the field. Educators andparents are invited.

ABENY invites all public high schoolgraduating seniors to apply for anABENY Scholarship. More than $7,000in scholarship monies is available. Thedeadline is April 30. The selected schol-arship winners, along with outstandingeducators, will be honored at ABENY'sAnnual Scholarship and AwardsLuncheon on Saturday, June 18.

For more information, contact Dr.Sheilah Bobo at sbobo@schools.nyc.gov or(917) 412-9099.

Honor at Bronx Eventfor Local PrincipalCommitted to Arts

The Bronx Arts Ensemble is honoringJoaquin Vega, Principal of BronxInternational High School, at its AnnualBenefit to support its arts-in-education

programs, on April 9 from 4 – 7 pm atRiverdale Yacht Club, West 254 Street atthe Hudson River in Riverdale. Mr. Vega,who has been a longtime and enthusias-tic supporter of Arts In Education pro-grams at his school, including music,dance, drama and visual arts.

For more information email baecon-cert@aol.com or call (718) 601-7399.

Awards ApplicationDeadline Extension

The Association of AssistantPrincipals has extended the due date forapplications for the Martin SafranAwards, honoring students of AAPmembers’ who demonstrate leadershipand citizenship. The new date is May 1.That date is also the deadline for appli-cation for the AAP’s $1,000 StewartWeiner Scholarships for graduating chil-dren of AAP members.

To view applications, go to www.aap-nyc.com

Notebook

Heather Page, AssistantPrincipal at Manhattan’sHigh School ofEconomics and Finance

CSA NEWS 5April 2016

BY CHUCK WILBANKS

PS 37R, a high school nestled in the GreatKills neighborhood of Staten Island, con-sists of 10 classrooms in four trailers inconstant need of repair. There is a gym-nasium, which also serves as the cafete-

ria. That room is no bigger than a small classroom,and it also must serve as the workshop where theschool’s 70 students, most diagnosed with autism,and a dedicated band of educators, operate a smallbut successful manufacturing operation.

The students build “adaptive design” productsout of reinforced cardboard –durable chairs andstools that can support a grown man, foot rests,back supports, seat wedges, iPad holders and visualaids. The products are typically used by studentswith special physical and emotional needs. PS 37Ris now fulfilling two orders a month, averaging 16pieces per order. While the idea had originally beento supply District 75 schools, the school becamethe primary manufacturer for schools throughoutDistrict 31 on Staten Island. Now it may be close tosupplying schools in districts around the city.

The students cut, edge, sand and paint the prod-ucts. Some of the items, were they purchased fromcorporate vendors, would be costly. The productsmade at PS 37R are not. In fact, the schools canorder them free of charge.

“We wanted something for our students whoaren’t yet ready to go into the community,” saidPrincipal Florence Gorsky. “But with this program,

they ultimately go on to do the deliveries.”The “program” refers to the Adaptive Design

Association, the brainchild of Alex Truesdale, whowas the founder and coordinator of the Assistive DeviceCenter at the Perkins School for the Blind inWatertown, MA. Among the missions of Ms. Truesdale’sgroup is to challenge assumptions about disabilities, andto train people how to build adaptive furniture andother necessities for disabled people. All of PS 37 R’s stafftrained with the Adaptive Design Association, locatedon the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Transition Coordinator Lorraine Ferrannini notedthat the cognitive abilities among the students rangewidely, with some testing at the third grade level. “Nomatter how difficult the diagnosis, they can make some-thing,” she said. “That’s the gift of this program. Theyget a sense of accomplishment. When they go to the

schools to deliver the products they are so proud. Youhave to see it to believe it.”

Teacher Diana Giambrone and OccupationalTherapist Pietra Rivera hurriedly set up and take downthe cafeteria before and after each work session, whichmust end before lunch. They said schools which use thefinished products are always grateful to recieve them.

The staff is small and intense about their work.Before coming to PS 37R, Assistant Principal DonnySwanson, a muscular man who has dealt with a case ofcerebral palsy affecting his right side since birth, workedas a teacher with “gifted and talented” students in arobotics program at IS 75 in Staten Island. He tookteams to national and international championshipsbefore beginning this job in 2012. He said he was happy

with the work but realized when he started at PS37R that he had found his calling.

“It’s a different reward for me,” he said. “Thisis a passion. It was when I began to see that mylimitations are a gift that I truly overcame my dis-ability. I want to help instill a sense of confidencein each student here and guide them to find waysto be as independent as possible and lead a suc-cessful life.”

Indeed, Principal Gorsky and other staff mem-bers emphasize their goal of helping students gaina measure of independence. “What are they goingto do when they leave us at 21?” said Ms. Gorsky,who has led the school since 2014 and was anassistant principal there for 10 years before that.“That’s what we’re trying to prepare them for.They need to be just as productive as everyoneelse.”

She said her staff has almost no turnover. Andshe noted that when students are workingon the products, there are very few behav-

ioral problems. On a recent visit, kids promptlysat down at the tables and began their tasks.Indeed, they seemed comforted by performingtasks they had come to know.

After a recent visit to the school, New YorkCity Councilman Joseph Borelli, who representsStaten Island, compared the school to a prisoncomplex, and warned against warehousing kidswith developmental disorders. But prison andwarehouse metaphors don’t do the school justice:While the facility is cramped and insufficient, theteachers and administrators of the District 75school have, with apparent cheerfulness, foundways to make the space work, from storing card-board in administrative offices, to the quick con-version of the cafeteria to factory floor and backagain, to sharing classroom space with anothersideline venture the students are performing –document shredding for a corporate client.

Still, everyone involved wants a better facility. Onesolution would be to move in with another school,hopefully one with a wood shop, which would allowPS 37 to expand its offerings. Borelli, meanwhile, hasspoken with Lorraine Grillo, who heads the New YorkCity School Construction Authority, about the possi-bility of getting a new building.

“She was very positive,” he said. “They understandthe urgency.”

Still, even if money were set aside today, a newschool would be several years away from completion.With the growing population on Staten Island and therate of autism showing no signs of decreasing, theneed will only become more urgent.

From Cardboard and Trailers, A Mission to Build Independence

PHOTOS BY CHUCK WILBANKS

n Principal Florence Gorsky, Assistant Principal Donny Swanson look on asCSA President Ernest Logan demonstrates the strength of a PS 37R chair.

PHOTOS BY CHUCK WILBANKS

n In an ‘Adaptive Design’ program, students at PS 37R in Great Kills, Staten Island create cardboard furniture and adaptive aids. The group above is edging and sanding iPad stands.

‘When they deliver the products, they are so proud.’

• • •

• • •

CSA NEWS6 April 2016

Your union assists members inways you may never need ornever imagined. Unlike someother unions, CSA has a sys-tem in place so that if an

emergency occurs you can speak withsomeone here, seven days a week. Emailaddressed to webmaster@csa-nyc.org isforwarded to appropriate staff and youwill be able to speak with someone.

For all of you who may be new tothe union or aren’t aware of how wecan help you, I offer a list of problemsand how we can help. It’s only a partiallist. I hesitate to say, “I’ve seen itall,” since we are regularly amazedby situations that rise, but it covers awide range of possibilities.

• It’s the weekend, and you areentertaining guests at home. Thedoorbell rings and you are met bytwo investigators who say they “justwant to ask a few questions.” Whatdo you do? Calmly tell them youare going to chat with union repre-sentation. Email the above addressand we will call you, guide you andassure you of your rights and obliga-tions. Until then, don’t talk to themabout anything substantive.

• You are retired and collecting your pension, when youreceive your final entitlement and any raise due to you. Youreceive a letter from TRS advising you that you have exceededthe earnings cap and that you must return the money earnedor your pension will be stopped. We will sort this out for you.

• Someone has filed a report accusing you of violating rulesabout conflicts of interest. CSA will represent you during theinvestigation. If SCI or DOE finds that a violation occurred,CSA advocates for you and helps to resolve the penalty phase.

• Your worst nightmare occurs: A criminal allegation ismade to the police against you and you are summoned to apolice precinct, a special victims unit, or even arrested. CSA uti-lizes the services of a former federal prosecutor to represent youwith the police and, if necessary, through any arraignment.

• A fight breaks out in your school and in the course ofbreaking it up your are hurt. Your injuries require a trip to thehospital or doctor. A receptionist advises you that you are onWorker’s Compensation and has you complete forms. Later,Workers Compensation rejects the claim and you are billed forthe full cost. CSA helps make sure you are compensated.

• As a high school Assistant Principal of Special Education,you are not notified that you are to work as a 12-monthemployee. A call from your union usually resolves this but ifnot, we file a grievance on your behalf.

• Your Superintendent asks you to sign an extension of pro-bation, prompted by an open investigation. You should sharethis with the union before signing. If the DOE closes the inves-tigation but your probation remains extended, we can typicallyhave the extension rescinded and tenure granted.

• You are denied an emergency health sabbatical. Yourunion represents you and works to get the sabbatical approved.

• The DOE offers you a new position, but are you not cer-tain what that means to your health coverage, your pension,and a host of other considerations. Call your union, where allconversations are confidential, and we can help you. Taking aposition without knowing all your rights may mean that youare giving up reversion rights or the right to union representa-tion. It may even mean that you are an at-will employee.

• A decision about when to retire is looming and you needpension advice. CSA provides you with pension voucherswhich enable you to choose a consultant of your choice.

Again, these are only some of the ways we can help you. Ifyou have questions, email me, or use the webmasteraddress any time. Even on a Sunday.

Email me at bob@csa-nyc.org to share concerns or issues.

Myriadmembersupportsare but anemail orphone callaway.

GrievanceCorner Bob Reich

CSA Has Your Back(Weekends Included)

• • •

105 YearsOn, Bell Tollsfor ShirtwaistFire Victims

On March 25, 1911, afour-alarm fire broke out inthe Triangle ShirtwaistFactory. Still known as theworst factory fire in the city’shistory, the disaster claimedthe lives of 146 people, mostof them young Italian andJewish immigrant womenwho either died trapped inthe inferno because of doorsthat were locked, or afterthey jumped to the sidewalksseveral stories below. A cere-mony was held on March 23to mark the 105th anniversary of the fire,which led to comprehensive workplacesafety rules in New York and around thenation. The shocking event also helped fuel

unionization, and according to FrancesPerkins, the Secretary of Labor from 1933through 1945, the birth of the New Deal.Students from PS 361, Manhattan, shownhere, helped begin the memorial ceremony.

Remembrance of a Tragedy

CHUCK WILBANKS

History Unfolded: US Newspapers and the Holocaust(newspapers.ushmm.org) is the US HolocaustMemorial Museum’s first full-scale citizen historyproject. This multi-year initiative invites middleschool, high school, and college students acrossthe country to research how Holocaust-era eventsin the United States and Europe were reported inUS newspapers.

By participating in the project, citizen historianswill explore Holocaust history as both an Americanstory and a local story, hone their skills of analyz-ing primary sources in historical research, and chal-lenge assumptions about American knowledge ofand responses to the Holocaust. Article contribu-tions will become part of a searchable database forscholarly research. Research findings will also helpinform a new exhibition at the Museum onAmericans and the Holocaust, opening in spring

2018. To succeed, the project needs help fromevery state and as many newspapers as possible.

The project currently highlights 20 Holocaust-era events for research, including the anti-Jewishriots of November 1938 (Kristallnacht), the failureof the Wagner-Rogers Child Refugee legislation inthe United States in 1939, and the Warsaw GhettoUprising of 1943. After browsing events, citizenhistorians are invited to submit articles from localpapers that they find in online databases, onmicrofilm, or in archival collections. The siteincludes tips for teachers and students on using amicrofilm reader, reading a newspaper, and findingnewspaper collections.

To learn more, visit newspapers.ushmm.org, or con-tact Eric Schmalz, at eschmalz@ushmm.org or 202-382-0211.

BY MARIA SMITH

In 1972, the Professional Association of DayCare Directors, formed to find solutions to employ-ment issues affecting Directors. Unionization wasdeemed the best way to achieve the group’s goals.In 1974, after much legal battling, union recogni-tion was achieved for Day Care Directors, AssistantDirectors, and family Day Care Coordinators.

Today, nearly 200 Early Child Educators are rep-resented by CSA. ECE members have not had a raisein more than ten years and have seen their ranksdwindle by the introduction of Early Learn andUPK. At present, CSA is negotiating with the Officeof Labor Relations for increased salaries and payparity comparable to what the DOE is paying start-ing UPK teachers.

“We are fighting for our members,” said RandiHerman, CSA Vice President. “Without early child-hood education providers, an important piece ofthis city’s living infrastructure will come to a

screeching halt. Many, many families depend onthese centers and our directors to provide a safe,stable and educational environment. The city mustnot let these members down.”

GOOD THINGS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

Researchers Wanted for History Project

n Mary Sikarevich, Chloe Pashman, Sheila Willard, andDeputy Mayor Richard Buery deliver messages to theMayor outside City Hall on June 23.

Fight Continues: From DayCare to Early Childhood

CSA NEWS 7April 2016

The unionPAC keeps lawmakersin City Halland in theCapitolaware ofCSA’s positionson theissues.

LegislativeAgenda Herman Merritt

I'm sure that when you startedteaching, one of the first thingsthat you were told was that it wasimportant to contribute to theUFT’s COPE, its Committee on

Political Education. It was consideredessential that each chapter have 100%participation. Fast forward to whenyou joined CSA, you received a laven-der card asking you to make a volun-tary contribution to our own politicalaction committee, or PACs. CSA’s PAClobbies for our interests on the federal,state and city levels.

What is a PAC and why is it impor-tant? Both PAC and COPE are politicalcommittees organized to raise andspend money to support and defeatcandidates. The practice has a longtradition in modern politics: One ofthe first PACs was formed in 1944 bythe Council of IndustrialOrganizations (CIO) to raise moneyfor the re-election of Franklin D.Roosevelt. CSA uses its PAC to educate andtrain members to become advocates forthemselves and their schools. We have a con-stant presence in both the State Capitol inAlbany and City Hall. Our political depart-ment monitors all legislation in both venues,keeping elected officials informed of CSA’sposition on each issue. We are often calledupon to testify in public hearings to informthe general community how CSA views awide variety of subjects. Specific issueschange from year to year, but what hasbecome standard is the annual fight forincreased funding to schools and the preser-

vation of retiree pension and health benefits.Before most elections, CSA PAC interviews

candidates for political office and recom-mends to the Executive Board the candidatesfor endorsement. An endorsement from CSAis a valued commodity. With the endorse-ment comes a campaign contribution and amailing to our members announcing theendorsement. Although we are a relativelysmall Union, insiders know that CSA mem-bers vote at a higher percentage than mostother groups. We are "thought leaders" in ourpersonal circles and people want our perspec-tive.

Candidates for office also take advantage

of our strong retiree chapter. Ourretirees have run multi-million dollarbudgets in their schools and have beenresponsible for countless students andstaff, challenges that make the rigors ofa campaign look like light stuff in com-parison. There are three current legisla-tors who are CSA members: AlanMaisel, (a former AP); Inez Barron (aformer Principal); and Danny Dromn (a former Early Education Director).They all started by contributing to thePAC, sitting on screening committeesand becoming involved in local elec-tions. Now, they are natural lobbyistsfor CSA, expressing how you feel totheir colleagues on a daily basis.

When members support ourPAC, they strengthen ourunion and public education in

general. The law prohibits the use ofunion dues for political activities, soonly voluntary donations to the PAC

are allowed. Whether you contribute $8 percheck to participate in the President's Club oryou give a donation, each and every contri-bution helps make us strong. From the anti-union cases in the judiciary to who will fillthe Supreme Court seat vacated by the deathof Antonin Scalia, it is imperative that westay involved and make our voices heard col-lectively. The single best way of doing that isthrough our PAC.

Herman Merritt is CSA Director of PoliticalAffairs. He can be reached at herman@csa-nyc.org.

A Stronger Union Through Political Participation

BY MARIA SMITH

The High School Assistant Principals’Administration Association (HSAPA) will hostaward-winning documentary maker AvivaKempner during an evening meeting in May.

Ms. Kempner will discuss her latest film,“Rosenwald” which chronicles JuliusRosenwald, the president of Sears, Roebuckand Co. from 1908 until 1924. His charitablefoundation, aimed at educating AfricanAmericans in the rural South during the earlypart of the 20th century, built more than

5,000 “Rosenwald Schools.”Ms. Kempner has made it her mission to

tell stories about the accomplishments ofJewish people. She also produced anddirected the award-winning 1998 documen-tary The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, andYoo Hoo! Mrs. Goldberg.

The event will be held on May 19, 5 pmat Terrace on the Park in Queens. For moreinformation, contact Nancy Russo, HSAPAPresident, at nonnieor@aol.com. Or RSVP toNancy Westerband at nwesterdoe@aol.com.The event is free for HSAPA members.

High School Assistant Principals

COURTESY FISK UNIVERSITY, JOH HOPE AND AURELIA E. FRANKLIN LIBRARY

n Julius Rosenwald, above with students, is the subject of a film by Aviva Kempner, who will discuss herwork with Assistant Principals in Queens this May.

n "If I went to work in a factory, the first thing I would do is join aunion,” said Franklin D. Roosevelt, shown here giving a State-of-the-Union address via radio in Jan. 1944.

The School Builder From Sears BY MARIA SMITH

A five-year, $47 million initia-tive to help universities improvehow they prepare principals, espe-cially for the nation’s highest-needschools, was announced by theWallace Foundation in March.The University PreparationProgram Initiative will fund theredesign of as many as six univer-sity training programs, each of willpartner with school districts sothat superintendents and admin-istrators have input into whataspiring principals need to learnin order to lead a school. Thefoundation plans to select univer-sities in the fall.

Elements of the plan are theresult of four studies commis-sioned by the Wallace Foundation.The summary, Improving UniversityPrincipal Preparation Programs: FiveThemes From the Field, revealedmost superintendents are not sat-isfied with the quality of principaltraining programs. The study alsoindicated the course of study atpreparation programs doesn’talways reflect principals’ real jobs,some university policies and prac-tice can hinder change and uni-versity-district partnerships areessential to high-quality prepara-

tion, but aren’t universal. “It’s refreshing that the Wallace

Foundation recognizes the needfor preparing school leaders,” saidMark Cannizzaro, CSA ExecutiveVP. “The earliest preparationbegins at the university level andit’s key that academia work closelywith school districts to ensure thattheir students are learning real-lifepractices.”

Another finding indicated thatmany university programs agreedtheir graduates were not well-pre-pared to assume the mantle ofschool leader. “Many universityprograms are looking for ways toraise the bar, and the time is ripefor states to consider broad reformof these programs,” said WillMiller, president of the WallaceFoundation. “We hope this initia-tive will provide evidence abouthow to strengthen these pro-grams, as a first step toward even-tually creating a new, national evi-dence-based norm for how prin-cipals are prepared.”

The Wallace Foundation is anindependent, national, New Yorkbased philanthropy with $1.4 bil-lion in assets and traces its originsto DeWitt and Lila AchesonWallace, founders of The Reader’sDigest Association.

Foundation Investingin Training Principals

CSA NEWS8 April 2016

Irwin Shanes, former CSAWelfare Administrator andunion founder, sat downwith CSA News to speakabout the early days ofunionizing educators – both

teachers and supervisors.Mr. Shanes was a pre-med stu-

dent until his father died and hewas drafted into the Army duringWWII. He pursued a teachingcareer once he got out of the serv-ice, eventually becoming Principalof PS 75, the Robert F. PearySchool, Queens, which was a“600” school – a place for difficultyoungsters.

He became active in efforts toorganize the city’s public schoolteachers with UFT President AlbertShanker and others. When hebecame an AP, he realized supervi-sors needed a union too.

The early days of CSA wereintense, exhilarating and exhaust-ing: individuals worked full time attheir schools, and then organizedlate into the evenings. Mr. Shaneswas elected CSA Treasurer in 1972and became the Welfare Fund’s

Administrator in 1978. He alsoserved as Chairman of the RetireeChapter before retiring in 2007.

Mr. Shanes is a survivor ofmany battles with the city andDOE about salaries, class size,tenure and other critical issues.During our interview, Mr. Shanesdiscussed the struggle to unionizeand the personal sacrifices madeby the early founders. He alsoshared insights about the recentSupreme Court ruling on Friedrichsvs. California TeachersAssociation. Below are exerpts ofour wide-ranging conversation.

The BeginningWe came together as a confedera-

tion of a dozen or so different super-visory groups. It included HighSchool Principals, Junior HighSchool Principals, DepartmentChairmen, Board of Examiners andso on.

When the UFT came of age in thelate 1950s and early 1960s, we start-ed to see the need for a union. Upuntil the UFT, each supervisorygroup bargained with the Board ofEducation for raises. We had anIndex Law, so that each time theteachers got a raise, we would get

the same raise and an adjustment. There started to be tension

between the teachers and the super-visors: the teachers were doing allthe hard work and we benefittedfrom it.

It became apparent that supervi-sors did not truly have the benefitsof security. In those days, a principalcould hire or fire at will; a superin-tendent could hire or fire at will.Before the UFT and CSA, there wereno prep periods, no class size restric-tions, no set timelines – a Principalcould keep you until 6 at night if heor she wanted to. A teacher earned$3,000 a year; an AP earned $7,000.

It was a band of renegades – theAssistant Principals Association –who really lit the fire to unionize.We were the new supervisors whohad recently been teachers and hadworked to form the UFT. We werethe agitators.

Many Principals didn’t want tounionize. They thought: ‘We are edu-cators and professors, not unionists!’It was hard for me to accept too. Butthe reality was that the city didn’tcapitulate to anyone but the unions.

The Strike of 1968Nothing tore apart the NYC pub-

lic school system more than OceanHill/Brownsville which resulted in theprolonged teachers’ strike of 1968.

I was the AP at a school in

Bushwick with 4,000 kids. The princi-pal, Joe Gordon, and I went to aschool board meeting and we werecalled every name in the book. It waspainful. I never saw color. I still don’t.I only saw kids who needed my help.

There was a solid clash betweenblack and white educators. We werehurting for each other. CSA had aproblem. We all did. The CSA mem-bership met at Manhattan Plaza andwe voted to support the UFT. PeterO’Brien (CSA President 1974-1977)led the meeting.

School was closed for 36 days. Itwas a very hard time. Then, all sortsof different groups formed: TheJewish Educators Association, theCatholic Teachers Association, andthe Black Teachers Association. Allthese groups were nice, but they dis-tracted from forming a solid, cohesiveunion.

City Budget CrunchIn the 1970s, the city was facing

very bad fiscal times. Many civil ser-vants, including educators, cops andfiremen, were laid off. For some, itwas the best thing that ever hap-pened to them. They reinventedthemselves and found other betterpaying careers.

Peter O’Brien negotiated with thecity and prevented the lay-off of 40supervisors. We gave up a percentageof the city money given to the wel-fare fund.

He saved careers. The UFT losthundreds of seasoned educators andguidance counselors.

But there were some CSA mem-bers who didn’t want to give upanything. They were selfish. Theydidn’t care about 40 jobs. They saidthey had their own needs. A unionis only as strong as it members’desire to do the right thing.

AFL-CIO AffiliationIn 1971 we affiliated with the

AFL-CIO. This was a huge accom-plishment for us. It was very impor-tant for us to have this membershipbecause it gave us greater access tofederal legislation. It gave us the

ability to muster support with othersupervisors across the country. Weran into some resistance from theUFT because they thought if webecame part of the AFL-CIO, wewould be a threat to them. But PeterO’Brien and Jack Zuckerman (CSAPresident during 1977) worked withAl Shanker to smooth the oppositionto the affiliation.

Governor Hugh Carey recognizedus as an “agency shop,” in 1977,which allowed CSA to collect uniondues. This put us on the map. When

Lighting the Fire to Unionize: ‘It All Started With AConfederacy of a Dozen Or So Supervisory Groups.’by MARIA SMITH

‘It Took Blood,Sweat and Tearsto Get the CSA.’

n Irwin Shanes, union founder and former CSA Welfare Fund Administrator spoke up for school leaders in CSA’s earliest days.

From a ‘Band of Renegades’ to

As Unions Disappear

CSA NEWS 9April 2016

we negotiated with the city, we werepart of a much bigger organization. Itgave us prestige. And if we walked-out,other unions like the Teamsters would-n’t cross the picket lines. Through theAFL-CIO, we are more respected as abody that has to be dealt with.

Retirees: The Secret Weapon Under Jill Levy, (CSA President

2000-2006), the Retired SchoolSupervisor Association (RSSA) wasjoined with CSA to form the CSARetiree Chapter in 2004. I was theChapter’s first chairman. When theymerged, every member was required topay union dues. Today, the CSARetirees are about 11,000 strong.

The retirees became CSA’s “secretweapon.” It’s almost impossible for aPrincipal to leave their school andattend a meeting with an elected offi-cial. Retirees, however, have the mostprecious commodity of all – time!They can lobby Albany or make thetrip to Washington, D.C. And they do.

It was critical though, that thoseretiree members have a voice on theExecutive Board, and on the Advisoryand Negotiating Committees. Theirparticipation is imperative in decisionsaffecting CSA.

The importance of a unionToday, unions are demonized.

Unfortunately, there are memberswithin CSA who take their union forgranted. They have no idea how muchblood, sweat and tears went intoestablishing the CSA. In the earlydays, CSA Presidents worked their full-time jobs as Principals or APs – run-ning the union from 3 pm until thelate hours of the evening.

But we knew we had to have aunion. The union allows us to bargainwith the city, with the Department ofEducation from a position of strength,not weakness. Critics will say, “Butyou protect the bad apples.” The prin-cipal whose hand is caught in the PTAcookie jar, or worse. That’s true, butthere is due process. There is a proce-dure. You cannot be fired on a whim –because your supervisor doesn’t likethe color of your shirt!

We came close to disaster with theFriedrich’s case. Chances are JusticeScalia, if he had lived, would havevoted against unions. Today’s mem-bers must protect what they have. Ifthey don’t, they can lose it.

No one is secure without a union.

o Collective Bargaining

n A family of unions: From the local tothe national level.

CSA

AFL-CIO

AFSA

NYSFSA

CLC

NYSAFLCIO

MLC

NATION

Education

The US Department of Education issupporting districts that replacetextbooks with online resources. Itbegan a social media campaign with#GoOpen to increase awareness ofhigh-quality, open-licensed educa-tional resources. Thirteen stateshave pledged to make use of freematerials. The Department alsounveiled new resources, includingthe website Learning Registry andopened.com. (hechingerreport.org)

NEW YORK:

Free Resources

Gregory Cizek, a professor of edu-cational measurement and evalua-tion at the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill says NewYork’s plan to remove time limitsfrom standardized tests is a “giantpolicy mistake” and will result inkids “who are taking two or threedays to do 50 math questions”.Ironically, Texas recently reversedits 35-year policy of not timingtests after public outcry from par-ents that the tests took too long.New York’s plan is an effort toreduce test refusals. (edweek.org)

NORTH CAROLINA:

Time Out

Napa Valley is working to close the“30 million word gap” between chil-dren who grow up in poverty andtheir more fortunate peers, a gapthat is even larger for children grow-ing up in non-English speakinghomes. Since most parents have asmart device, the district is helpingparents load software that buildsearly literacy skills. Preschoolers lovethe programs and, in the pilot, therewas a 250% increase in English lan-guage skills. Other districts, such asWeslaco and Houston, Texas arebeginning similar initiatives.(eschoolnews.com)

— COMPILED BYCHRISTINE ALTMAN

The Common Core and its emphasison complex texts may be responsi-ble for a resurgence in the age-oldquestion of how to teach grammar.Two researchers from the Universityof Virginia advocated in a recentarticle embedding grammar instruc-tion into other language arts assign-ments. For example, taking one sen-tence from a text students are read-ing and analyzing it may be moreeffective than random drills, whichhave been shown to have a smallbut negative effect on students’writing abilities. (edweek.org)

VIRGINIA:

Grammar Uptick

CALIFORNIA:

Closing The Gap

Park Ridge HS had its first VirtualDay. Students attended onlineclasses with written lessons andreal-time video chats. All studentsreceived a Mac laptop last year withthe software Schoology, for texting,video-conferencing and postingassignments. The school now has anew backup plan in case of emer-gencies or snow days. Virtual atten-dance was 98%. (npr.org)

NEW JERSEY:

Virtual Day

30

25

20

15

10

1969 1976 1983 1990 1997 2005 2012

54

52

50

48

46

44

Union Mem

bership Rate

Middle-class Sh

are of Aggreg

ate Income

Source: Huffingtonpost.com. Union membership rate is from Barry T. Hirsch, David A. MacPherson, andWayne G. Vroman, “Estimates of Union Density by State,” Monthly Labor Review 124 (7) (2001). Middle-class share of aggregate income is from the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.

Middle-Class Incomes Shrink AsUnion Membership Rates Decrease

50

40

30

20

10

1928 1948 1968 1988 2008

Union Mem

bership Rate

Source: Americanprogressaction.org. Union membership rate is from Barry T. Hirsch, David A. MacPherson,and Wayne G. Vroman, “Estimates of Union Density by State,” Monthly Labor Review 124 (7) (2001).Middle-class share of aggregate income is from the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.

Share of Income Going to Top 10%

Membership in Unionsand Shared Prosperity

People who oppose unions argue that members who enjoy the benefitsof collective bargaining benefit while everyone else in society loses. Justhow untrue that is can be seen in two charts, graphically suggesting theimpact that declining union membership has had on the middle class at thesame time that more of the country’s income shifts to the top.

– CW

CSA NEWS10 April 2016

Active in-servicememberspay lessthan $20per monthfor familyoptionalbenefitscoverage

The Welfare Fund

CSA Department of Education mem-bers, both active and retiree, enjoysome of the best health care bene-fits provided to any municipalworker in the country. Made up of

many levels, the coverage is terrific not onlybecause of how comprehensive it is, butbecause of how little members have to pay toget it.

The first level is the coverage provided byyour employer, the City of New York. TheCSA is an active member of the MunicipalLabor Committee (MLC), a coalition of allunions representing workers employed byNew York City. All unions, uniformed andnon-uniformed, are, through the collectivebargaining process, provided a basic healthplan by their employer, the City of New York.This basic coverage applies to all activeemployees and all retirees who receive a pen-sion from city employment, and is, for thevast majority of employees and retirees, pro-vided free of charge.

This coverage is not provided through thegenerosity of the City. It is provided as a con-dition of all collective bargaining agreementsand has been achieved through years of hardnegotiating. It is only through continued vig-ilance and negotiations that these benefitscontinue.

New York City contributes, on behalf ofeach employee, to his or her chosen healthplan, an amount equal to what the New YorkState Department of Financial Services hasset as the premium HIP can charge. HIP pro-vides a very comprehensive benefit for thisamount, and GHI, using participating andnon-participating providers, has assembled avery large panel of providers who onlycharge a small co-pay to participants. Shouldthe employee or retiree prefer a non-partici-pating provider, reimbursement is madeaccording to a schedule of allowances which,unfortunately, was valid in the mid-1980’sbut is seriously lacking in 2016. If anemployee chooses a plan other than HIP orGHI, a contribution of a few dollars to severalhundred is taken from each paycheck andpaid to the health plan.

Every health plan provided to New YorkCity employees is deficient with respect to a

comprehensive benefits program. Some areavailable for purchase by the employee/retiree through an optional benefits riderwhile others are provided by the individual’sunion health and welfare fund. Since HIPand the GHI-CBP plan are the most popularamong city employees and retirees, the city“carves out,” or does not deduct, for benefitsprovided by union health and welfare fundsto members enrolled in these two healthplans. As a result, active in-service membersenrolled in HIP and GHI pay less than $20per month for the family optional benefitscoverage.

Your CSA Welfare FundWhile your City-provided benefits are

excellent, they still come up short in manyways. For example, no City-provided healthplan provides dental coverage, and prescrip-tion benefits are available either through theoptional benefits rider or through yourunion’s welfare fund.

During each contract negotiation, moneyis bargained for salary increases, and addi-tional funds are negotiated to be paiddirectly to a covered employee’s welfarefund. For the CSA Welfare Funds, these fundsare paid directly from the Department ofEducation and NYC Controllers office on aper-member, per-month basis. Your uniondues, deducted from active paychecks orretiree pension checks, are used to operatethe union and provide services, such as legaland grievance support, to members. Welfarefund monies are completely separate, and arepaid directly to the Welfare Fund.

Each union and welfare fund may, withinguidelines established by the Controller, usethese funds as it best sees fit to meet theneeds of the union members and retirees.

Some unions comingle active and retireefunds. CSA does not do this.

Long ago, CSA’s Executive Board chose tocreate separate funds for active and retiredmembers. As a result, the money contributedthrough negotiation for active members isused by the Board of Trustees (elected by theExecutive Board) with the guidance of theadministrator, to provide benefits to meetthe needs of the active CSA membership. Asa result, the Fund provides prescription drug,dental, optical, hearing aid, supplemental,and catastrophic medical benefits. The CSARetiree Welfare Fund, directed by a sepa-rately-elected board of trustees, provides adifferent set of benefits judged to be moreappropriate for retired members. Theseinclude dental, optical, hearing aid, homehealth aide, partial reimbursement of theGHI optional benefits rider for those who areMedicare eligible, catastrophic medical, and agreatly enhanced supplemental medical pro-gram which covers, among other things,unreimbursed amounts for surgery, anesthe-sia, chemotherapy (exclusive of the medica-tions) and invasive and diagnostic examina-tions.

The Trustees of each fund employ profes-sionals with experience in investments,accounting and auditing, and actuarial

studies to assist them in managing the fund.Their goal is to provide the greatest level ofbenefits that can be provided while main-taining the long-term financial viability ofthe fund. As additional resources are madeavailable, the Trustees and Administrativestaff make decisions how to best use theseresources, be it enhancement of reimburse-ment levels of current benefits or addition ofnew benefits.

Next Month: We begin a detailed look ateach Welfare Fund benefit, including what iscovered and how to submit the required docu-mentation to obtain reimbursement.

Dr. Douglas V. Hathaway writes a monthlycolumn for the CSA News. If you have a ques-tion you would like answered, please write to himat dhathaway@csawf.org.

Your Benefits Are Among the Best in the Country

Dr. Douglas V. Hathaway

Won over years of toughnegotiating, coverage is acondition of all collectivebargaining agreements.

From Childcare and Wills to Debt ManagementBetter Living Through Your Union: A Plethora of Counseling Services Are Offered

BY MARIA SMITH

A healthy, balanced life comes frommore than just a good physical exam.Whether it’s finding appropriate childcareor dealing with debt, everyday issues canaffect a person’s well -being. To help nav-igate life’s hills and valleys, CSA offers activemembers and employees access to Aetna’sResources for Living Worklife Services.

“We’re here to help you find solu-tions. When your mom falls down thestairs and you realize she may need tomove, we can help you find the resourcesto deal with that difficult situation,” saidErrol Katcher, Benefits Consultant to CSA’sWelfare Fund.

From eldercare and childcare to debtmanagement, trained worklife counselorsare available 24/7 to find and refer you tosources that can help solve the problem.

“We save you a lot of time and energyby doing the research for you,” said Aetna

Account Supervisor Pat Horn, who waspreviously a “worklife” counselor. “If acounselor isn’t familiar with an issue, yourinformation is referred to another whodoes have that experience. No one isturned away. You are always taken careof.”

Queries come from every aspect of life.During the financial meltdown of 2008,Ms. Horn reported counselors saw a hugeuptick in people calling with questionsregarding home foreclosures and mortgagedelinquencies.

“It was a sobering discovery,” she said.“We culled our databases and resources topull together a broad network of servicesincluding financial advisors, food pantries,homeless shelters and legal help. “

When people were displaced duringHurricane Sandy, the program was vitalin providing people and their employerswith real-time information on emergencyshelter possibilities, how to get prescrip-

tions refilled, how to getcash from banks.

The program willhook you up with peo-ple who will advise youon wills and trusts, taxconsultations over thephone, mediation serv-ices, retirement planningand debt management,divorce and child cus-

tody issues, adoption information, carefor children with special needs, summercamp information, identity theft consul-tation – the list goes on and on.

While many of the resources are at no-cost such as nonprofit providers or gov-ernment agencies, some referrals do incurexpenses, such as hiring an attorney. It’salways up to the caller, however, to decidewhich service they should choose.

“The purpose is not to endorse refer-rals,” said Mr. Katcher. “But to provide

good, timely information so that an indi-vidual or family can make a sound deci-sion and move forward. We want to elim-inate stress as much as possible.”

Not every issue is a serious one.Need help finding a pet sitter in your

neighborhood? Do you have a highschool senior ready to enter college whoneeds to know about financial aid? Theprogram can help.

“We saw our partnership with Aetnaas a real plus,” said CSA Welfare BenefitsAdministrator Doug Hathaway. “We knowthat life issues can be a heavy weight,detracting from being able to do your bestat work and at home. This service canhelp keep things on an even keel.”

Your worklife solution is easily accessedby calling 1-855-718-9390, or visitingwww.mylifevalues.com. Username:csawl;Password:csawl. Note: Retirees are currentlynot participants in this benefit.

Errol Katcher

CSA NEWSApril 2016 11

1960 Salary committeesfrom 12 supervisory groupsworking for the city Board ofEducation (BOE) agree to fightfor a salary index.

1962 Presidents of unaf-filiated supervisory associationsmeet at the High School of Artand Design in Manhattan.From that meeting comes theformation of the Council ofSupervisory Associations (CSA).Dr. Ben Strumpf, AssistantSuperintendent of Districts 17and 18, is elected part-timePresident. Presidential termsare initially set at one year witha two-term limit.

1963 The BOE gives CSAde facto recognition. WalterDegnan, Principal of DeWittClinton HS, is elected part-time president. Al Morrison,AP, serves as part-timeExecutive Director.

1964 The first annual conventionis held at Grossinger’s Hotel in theCatskills. The CSA Major MedicalExpense Insurance Plan goes into effectwith more than 900 supervisorsenrolled.

1965 After three years of arduouswork, CSA achieves de jure recognitionand hammers out CSA’s first legal recog-

nition agreement with the BOE, the firstagreement of its kind granted to super-visors in the country. The CSA WelfareFund is established. The BOE agrees toprovide $140 per CSA member to theFund.

1966 CSA establishes a full-timeoffice at 186 Joralemon St., Brooklyn.

1967 High School PrincipalJoseph Brennan becomes part-timepresident of CSA. Assistant Principalshold a one-day strike in support of theUFT.

1968 Dispute over the experimen-tal Ocean Hill-Brownsville decentralizeddistrict leads to a strike by UFT. CSAjoins strike in solidarity. Schools areclosed for 36 days.

1969 First written contractbetween the BOE and CSA, the firstcomprehensive contract for schoolsupervisors in the country.

1971 BOE tries to reclassifyPrincipals and other supervisors as man-

agerial or confidential employees underthe Taylor Law. The NYC Central LaborCouncil denounces this as union-bust-ing tactics. The ALF-CIO grants a char-ter to the newly formed SchoolAdministrators and SupervisorsOrganizing Committee (SASOC) toorganize; CSA President Walter Degnanis elected President, and CSA becomesLocal 1 of what would become AFSA,

AFL-CIO. Retired SupervisorsGroup holds first meeting.

1972 Check-off dues beginin February.

1973 CSA’s membershipapproves a new three-year con-tract; New York City schooladministrators and supervisorsbecome highest paid in the coun-try. Peter O’Brien is elected CSA’sfirst full-time President. JackZuckerman is elected ExecutiveVice President. Both continue towork as full-time Principals.

1974 The ProfessionalAssociation of Day Care Directors,a CSA affiliate since 1973, votesto select CSA as its collective bar-

gaining representative.

1975 New York City fiscal crisisleads to layoffs and protests by publicsector unions.

1976 CSA negotiates the nation’sfirst unionized Day Care Directors’ con-tract.

1977 Governor Hugh Carey signslegislation making CSA an “agencyshop.” CSA Treasurer Irwin Shanessteps in to become the “temporary”Welfare Fund Administrator andremains in this position until 2007. TedElsberg is elected CSA President; holdsposition until 1988.

1981 The Day Care Council/CSAWelfare Fund is established; eventuallyit covers prescription drugs, expandedhospitalization coverage, dental plansand some emergency services not cov-ered by the employer.

1989 Donald Singer becomes CSAPresident. Jill Levy is elected ExecutiveVice President.

2000 Jill Levy is elected CSAPresident. Her slate includes ErnestLogan as Executive Vice President andPeter McNally as First Vice President.

2002 CSA changes its name tothe Council of School Supervisors andAdministrators. Executive LeadershipInstitute is formed and establishes itselfas a premiere professional programoffering workshops and seminars.

2004 CSA’s Executive Boardapproves the formation of the CSARetiree chapter. Irwin Shanes is theChapter’s first chairman. In June, DayCare Directors strike in conjunctionwith workers from Local 1707, shuttingdown nearly all the city’s 350 city-sub-sidized Day Care Centers.

2005 Day care members vote toratify a new contract. The contractoffers members $1,200 upon ratifica-tion, and a 14.5 percent raise duringthe length of the deal, which expiresJune 30, 2006. The contract also addssignificant sums of money to the CSADay Care Welfare Fund.

2006 In March, CSA declares animpasse in its contract talks with thecity after 23 meetings. In April, nearly2,000 CSA members demonstrate out-side City Hall for a new contract.Mayor Bloomberg is not amused.During the summer, CSA enters intomediation over the contract. President

Levy is elected AFSAPresident. She announces shewill not run for re-election asCSA’s President. In November,Ernest Logan and his slate areelected to office. The slateincludes First Vice PresidentPeter McNally and VicePresident Randi Herman.

2007 CSA signs a con-tract with the city runningthrough March 2010. The dealgives members a 23.16 percentsalary increase with retroactiv-ity, as well as separate lumpsum payments and largerawards for performance.

2009 Ernest Logan, PeterMcNally and Randi Hermanare re-elected as CSA officers.

2012 CSA opens it’s newheadquarters at 40 RectorStreet, 12th Floor, in down-town Manhattan. The city’sBloomberg Administration

introduces Early Learn, underminingcity’s network of contracted subsidizedchildcare and early childcare educa-tion. Peter McNally becomes ExecutiveDirector of the NY State Federation ofSchool Administrators (NYFSA). MarkCannizzaro replaces Mr. McNally asFirst Vice President.

2013 Ernest Logan is re-electedwith Mark Cannizzaro as ExecutiveVice President and Randi Herman asVice President.

2014 New contract is secured,giving members an 18 percent raisecompounding over the life of the con-tract. CSA also negotiates annual paydifferential to Principals and APs in“hard to staff” schools, protectsexcessed supervisors, allows CSAemployees to report to work duringschool holiday periods so they candefer annual leave to another date andreduces teacher observations. The con-tract expires April 20, 2019.

2016 CSA continues arduous andunproductive negotiations with OLRto secure a contract with pay parity forEarly Childhood members. Several ral-lies are held outside of City Hall.Discussions are ongoing. Mr. Loganbegins his fourth term as CSAPresident. Mr. Cannizzaro and Ms.Herman are re-elected.

Year by Year, the Life of a UnionCSA Timeline

n In Oct. of 1969, CSA won it’s first contract from the city.

In 1979, CSA President talks with Ted Ellsbergwith then-Assemblyman Chuck Schumer.

In the 1970s, New York City’s fiscal crisis and its aftermath led to layoffs and protests.

Compiled by Maria Smith

CSA NEWS12 April 2016

Japan, Korea, Russia!July 3-17, 2016

Sail the beautiful Diamond Princessdeparting Tokyo July 3 to Busan (Korea),Nagasaki, Tokyo, Kushiro, ShiretokoPeninsula, Korsakov (Russia), Otaru,Hakodate, Aomori, and return to Tokyoon July 17. Tokyo pre-stay is available.

Rates begin at $2,119 incl. taxes.Optional insurance and air is notincluded. At this point flights are deeplydiscounted and is a great opportunityto use AA miles.

Is 15 days too long? Join theDiamond Princess on July 8-17 for ashorter version with rates beginning at$1,499! Call for details.

China by Land, RiverAug. 13-25, 2016

This will be a magical trip as wecruise the Viking River Cruises Emeraldfor six days and explore parts of Xianand Shanghai by land. In Xian, we’ll seethe famous Terracotta Army, including8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520horses and 150 cavalry horses. We’llspend two nights in Beijing, fly to Xianfor 2 nights, then board the Emerald forthe 5-night cruise on the Yangtze, dis-embark the boat in Shanghai and spend2 nights. A 4-night extension to HongKong is also available.

RATES: $2,767 to $3,067, although

Loyalty Passengers may receive addi-tional savings. Rate includes most meals,sightseeing, deluxe lodging, intra-Chinaairfare. Airfare to China and insurancenot included, but please note thatViking offers deep discounts on airfare.

Sirena-Oceania Sept. 20 - Oct. 4, 2016

Includes FREE airfare (capacity con-trolled)! Depart U.S. Sept. 19, and arrivein Barcelona Sept. 20. Sail the brand newSirena to: Cartagena, Malaga, Cadiz,Lisbon, Madeira, Tenerife, Arecife, Agadir,Morocco, Casablanca, Gibraltar (UnitedKingdom), Palma de Mallorca.

RATES: begin at $5,799 per persondouble interior. Porthole $6,299 per per-son; Window $6,799 per person;Verandah $7,799 per person. Gov’t. fees,taxes are included. Optional insuranceavailable. Ask for O-Life perks!

Return to CubaDec. 13-21, 2016

Depart Dec. 13 - overnight at theTampa Marriott. Dec. 14 fly to SantaClara in preparation for our inclusivetour to Cayo Santa Maria, Remedios,Caibarien, Cienfuegos, and Havana.Return from Havana to NY via Miami.

RATES: All inclusive with air, tour-ing, lodging, and 17 meals $4,599 pp-dbl (additional discounts may apply).

Singles add $450. We have 38 seats andthey will go quickly!

Panama Canal CruiseJan. 4 - Jan. 19 2017

Depart Los Angeles Jan. 4 and arriveFort Lauderdale Jan. 19, 2017. VisitPuerto Vallarta, Huatulco, San Juan DelSur, Punta-renas, full canal transit,Cartagena, and Aruba. Secure deepest dis-count rates now with deposit. Rates beginat $1,899 pp. Add taxes and insurance.

Winter SailawayFeb. 19-26, 2017

On Feb. 19, 2017 board the elegantCelebrity Silhouette and sail to CocoCay, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Jamaicaand Labadee (Haiti) for 7 days enjoyingthe Celebrity experience!

Rates begin at $913.42. Currently ifyou book window or higher you mayselect 2 free perks from beverage pack-age, onboard credits, unlimited internet,free gratuities. Air and insurance is extra.

Winter Sail to ArubaBonaire and CuracaoMarch 11 - March 19 2017

Set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, FL onthe Caribbean Princess to the ABCIslands of the Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaireand Curacao) for a memorable 8 dayvoyage.

Rates (subject to change) are cur-rently: Inside,$1044.00pp; Window,$1274pp; Balcony, $1344pp; MiniSuite,$1644pp. Currently rates include$100pp reduced deposit, onboard cred-its, port charges and taxes. Singles,triple, quads, air and insurance areavailable.

European Elbe CruiseMay 13 - May 29 2017

This is our latest and most excitingViking River Cruise adventure yet!Depart US on May 13 to arrive Berlin,May 14. Begin a journey to Berlin,Wittenberg, Meissen, Dresden, BadSchandau, Prague, Krakow and Warsaw.Cruise portion is on the elegant VikingBeyla from May 16-21. Excluding air,the program is all-inclusive, land andtour, using deluxe properties through-out. Past passenger loyalty discount, spe-cial CSA group rate, and reduced air isavailable.

Rates begin at $6,274pp double. Askfor Viking special promo air and addi-tional discounts. The boat accommo-dates 100 passengers and space will gorapidly! Go to Viking River Cruises formore details.

For more information, contact GaryGoldstein at ggoldstein@csa-nyc.org withany questions.

Tour European Cities or Cruise the Islands

GARY GOLDSTEIN

TravelDesk

n JOHN ACOMPORE, 71, of Brooklyn diedon Feb. 12. He retired in 2001 after nine yearsas Deputy Executive Director of the Office ofBilingual Education. Mr. Acompore obtainedhis BA from Hunter College majoring inFrench and completed his master’s degree inEducation Administration and Supervisionat NYU. Mr. Acompore served as Chancellor’sTrustee in Districts 12 and 17. He receivednumerous awards including the New YorkCity Association of Supervision andCurriculum Development and the New YorkState Association for Bilingual Education. Hiscontribution to the bilingual community wasrenowned, according to his colleague, SusanSerrano. “He understood the instructionalneeds and effective practices for EnglishLanguage Learners (ELLs),” she said. “Hisadvocacy and knowledge of regulations andmandates governing bilingual programsmade him a pillar of the bilingual educationmovement.” Mr. Acompore also enjoyed thetheater and opera.

n SAMUEL AMSTER, 83, of Brooklyn, NY,died on March 11. He retired in 2001 as anEducational Adminstrator, Level IV- Director

of Personnel, District 21, Brooklyn. Mr.Amster immigrated to the United Statesfrom Cuba in 1943. He graduated fromBrooklyn College and became a teacher atThomas Jefferson High School, Brooklyn. Itwas while working in overcrowded class-rooms with severe staffing shortages, that hestarted to help form the UFT. He workedalongside UFT President Albert Shanker, tohelp organize members in the fight for pro-fessional recognition, higher salaries andbetter working conditions. Mr. Amster waspassionate about hiring qualified educators,reducing class size and increasing gradua-tion rates. “I and many others learnedthrough Sam that educators need to berespected,” said colleague and CSAPresidential Advisor Gary Goldstein.“Respect leads to quality education in anysystem.” After retirement, Mr. Amsterbecame an education recruiter for TouroCollege, NY. He received many awards duringhis career including from CSA, UFT, NYCCommunity Mayors, The National Council ofYoung Israel, and the UJA. Mr. Amster wasaffiliated with the Aventura Turnberry Jewish

Center, The Cuban Hebrew Synagogue,Miami and Temple Beth El in ManhattanBeach, Brooklyn. Mr. Amster is survived by hiswife, Jill, two sons, Jeffrey and Seth, a daugh-ter Elyse and nine grandchildren. Mr.Amster’s family requests that if so inclined,donations in his memory, can be made to theLustgarten Foundation: www.lustgarten.org.

n JOSEPH CASCIANO, 93, of Brooklyn, NYdied Jan. 26. He retired in 1991 as HumanResources Deputy Director of Appeals andReview of the Board of Education’sDepartment of Resources. Mr. Casciano wasa Navy veteran of WW II who served in thePhilippines and Hawaii. While stationed inPearl Harbor, Mr. Casciano, was part of a rig-ging team assigned to raise the USS Arizona,torpedoed by the Japanese during theDecember 7, 1941 surprise attack. He metCommander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific FleetAdmiral Nimitz who supported the riggingoperation. The operation, however, provedtoo dangerous and was abandoned. Thesunken vessel is now the USS ArizonaMemorial managed by the National ParkService. Mr. Casciano received his under-graduate degree from Seton Hall University,and his master’s degree from NYU. He beganhis career as a Health Education teacher. Hewas an antique collector and avid fisher-man. Mr. Casciano is survived by his wife,Angela, and a daughter.

n LORRAINE GUTIERREZ, 43 of Brooklyn,NY, died on Feb. 13. She was the AP atBanneker Academy, Brooklyn. She earnedher bachelor’s degree in Education fromBrooklyn College and obtained her master’sdegree from Michigan State University. Ms.Gutierrez loved to travel and visited Africaand Peru. Although she suffered with Lupusfor more than 20 years, she never allowed

the illness to prevent her from setting andmeeting goals. “She never complained,” saidLisa Gutierrez, her sister-in -law. “She alwayswanted to be a teacher and was alwaysthere for her students. She never missed adeadline.” In addition to her sister-in-law,Ms. Gutierrez is survived by her father, Jose,her brother, Jose and three nieces and anephew.

n LAWRENCE PALEY, 90, of Merrick, NY,died on Jan. 20. He was a retired Principal ofPS 96, Manhattan. A WWII Navy veteran, Mr.Paley was stationed in Hawaii. As an accom-plished cellist, he was “drafted” to play invarious Navy bands. After the war, heenrolled in NYU where he obtained both hisbachelor’s and master’s degree. After col-lege, Mr. Paley became a teacher ofIndustrial Arts for the Board of Education.He also was an AP at JHS 121, Manhattan. Mr.Paley’s hobbies included collecting oldclocks and eye wash cups. He played in theMassapequa Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Paleyis survived by his wife, Bernice, a son anddaughter and five grandchildren.

n RUTH WEBER, 80, of Wellington, FL diedon Feb. 28. She retired in 1993 as the Mathand Computer Science Director for District21, Brooklyn. Mrs. Weber obtained herundergraduate and graduate degrees fromBrooklyn College. After retiring, she and herhusband Alvin relocated to Florida. Mrs.Weber was active in the local chapter ofHadassah and enjoyed playing tennis, golfand bridge. She also was an accomplishedquilter. In addition to her husband, she issurvived by two daughters, a son, fourgrandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Send notices to CSA News Associate EditorMaria Smith at maria@csa-nyc.org.

In Memoriam

John Acompore Lorraine Gutierrez Samuel Amster

CSA NEWSApril 2016 13

NATION

Labor

Safeguarding Schools Ray Garcia

When New York City PoliceCommissioner William J. Brattontook office on Jan. 1, 2014, hestarted an in-depth examination ofthe Police Department. The formal

name for the process is “NYPD Reengineering,”but Commissioner Bratton called it a “CAT scan,”in that it is meant to provide an internal view ofareas that can be improved.

One of the most important issues we encoun-tered was the “Schools to Prison Pipeline,” whichcan begin when a kid gets a criminal summonsfor disorderly conduct. Many of these sum-monses have been handed out because of schoolfights, and their prevalence was hurting the livesof students and community relations as well.

So last Sept., as a result of the NYPD’sReengineering Program, the NYPD in collabora-tion with the DOE, launched a pilot programinvolving “warning cards,” which NYPD officerscan issue instead of a criminal summons for spe-cific low-level infractions. In launching the pilotprogram, we had the help of the Mayor’s SchoolClimate Leadership Team, including representa-tives from the CSA, UFT, Parent Advocates,Students and the DOE’s Office of Student andYouth Development.

Under the program, School Safety PoliceOfficers, School Safety Agents as well as policeofficers assigned to local precincts have the abil-ity to issue a warning card to students 16 or olderfor offenses related to disorderly conduct andlow-level possession of marijuana. The primarygoal is to refer students accused of such infrac-tions to the school’s administration, which canthen pursue guidance or other types of interven-tion.

In each case, the Police Officer or SchoolSafety Agent (SSA) discuss the incident with thePrincipal or other school leader to determinewhether to issue a warning card or a criminalsummons. When students are issued warningcards, they’re instructed to bring them home totheir parents or guardians, whom the school noti-fies as well.

The pilot program is currently in 38 schoolson five Bronx campuses: Herbert H LehmanCampus – 45 Precinct; Evander Childs Campus –47 Precinct; Walton Campus – 52 Precinct; AdlaiE. Stevenson Educational Campus – 43 Precinct;John F Kennedy Campus – 50 Precinct.

Many parents, teachers and community mem-bers were concerned that crime might rise as aresult of this restorative practice approach. But itseems to have paid off: By using discretion andissuing 72 percent fewer summonses from 2001to 2014, there was a 24 percent reduction inseven major crimes categories. For the sameperiod, there were 68 percent fewer arrests madein schools. To date, school crime continues todecline.

The School Safety Division is excited aboutfinding programs, initiative and practicesthat avoid criminalization of students while

maintaining the safest schools in the nation. Weare extremely appreciative of the support thatwe’ve received from school administrators, par-ents, teachers and student representatives whocontinue to help us in achieving one safe schoolsystem for all.

Ramon F. Garcia, Jr. is the AssistantCommissioner for the NYPD’s School Safety Division

Officerscan avoidissuing acriminalsummonsfor minorinfractions

Warning Card Program Shows Promise

PENNSYLVANIA:

Attacking LaborThe Allentown teachers unionpresident is facing a lawsuit forholding the position while beingpaid a teacher’s salary. Reportedly,it has been past practice, per thecontract, to allow the union presi-dent to continue in his or her roleas teacher. Supporters contend ifthe plaintiffs want this scenariochanged, it has to be part of collec-tive bargaining. (morning call.com)

NEVADA:

Emergency Change

The Chicago Teachers Unionstaged a one-day strike on April 1over the lack of state funding forschools and to pressure Gov. BruceRauner and lawmakers to help.Contract negotiations have stalledover differences about raises andfurlough days, among other issues.Teachers picketed schools, held ral-lies at City Hall, the Cook CountyJail and elsewhere. CPS recentlyborrowed $725 million in bonds athigh interest rates to keep schoolsopen for the rest of the year.(Chicago Tribune andThinkProgress) — COMPILED BYCHRISTINE ALTMAN

A closed meeting was held betweenthe commissioners of MahoningCounty and representatives of threeunions. On the agenda were person-nel and labor-management issues,including a concern over lead in thewater supply at one facility. Themeeting, which went on for overtwo hours, resulted in no decisionson any of the matters discussed.(www.vindy.com)

Gov. Brian Sandoval approved aregulation to allow the immediatelicensing of teachers who havenever taught in a classroom ortested competent in their subjectmatters. The move was an emer-gency change to the teacher licens-ing process to stem the shortage ofpublic school teachers. Licenses aregood for one year and requiresome college credits in education.Following the grace period, teach-ers have to meet the state stan-dards or lose their licenses.Reportedly, some state officialswant to make it permanent.(www.rgj.com)

OHIO:

Closed Meeting

ILLINOIS:

Teachers Strike

Boston University full-time andsalaried lecturers and instructorsare poised to become the thirdgroup of full-time faculty membersto unionize at a Greater BostonUniversity, having petitionedFederal labor officials to allowthem to have union elections. Themove is part of a national effort toincrease rights for non-tenuretrack faculty. If successful, over 275employees who are not on thetenure track would have union rep-resentation. (bostonglobe.com)

MASSACHUSETTS:

BU Union ElectionsOn the other hand, a

private school tax creditthat would have benefittedsome of the city’s weatlth-iest private schools wasdefeated. This was a signif-icant victory for CSA andother educator unions,which had lobbied hardagainst it. The measure’sdefeat came as somewhatof a surprise: During arecent lobbying trip to thestate capitol, many law-makers who are otherwisefriends of public educationhad begun to see the taxcredit as a fait accompli.

The EducationalLeadership Institutereceived continued fundingof $475,000, the sameamount as last year, a vic-tory for ELI and CSA mem-bers, since there is very littleprofessional development forschool leaders outside of whatELI provides.

“That’s good for us and theservices we provide,” said EloiseMessineo, executive director ofELI, noting that with otherannual sources of support fromthe DOE and City Council, ELI

should remain on solid footing. “We’re pleased that ELI was

funded as we wished – that’ssomething we and we alonefight for,” said CSA PoliticalDirector Hermann Merritt.

CSA had supported anextension of mayoral control ofthe city’s schools but the budgetis silent on that matter. Senate

has scheduled hearings inAlbany and New York city inMay. CSA officers will testify.The legislature will have to dealwith the issue before it adjournson June 16.

My Brother’s Keeper,launched by President Obamain 2014 and which CSAPresident Ernest Logan has

been promoting in NewYork, got $20 million infunding. The program hasbeen established to helpstop the surge in youngblack males entering prisonthrough constructive edu-cational and social pro-grams.

The budget hiked theminimum wage, a victoryfor unions across the state.That number is set to hit$15 in New York City by2018, elsewhere in thesouthern part of the stateby 2022, while upstateareas have no set date withwhich they need to hit$15.

At the higher educa-tional level, SUNY andCUNY tuitions are frozenat the current levels, goodnews for New York Citystudents entering state and

city colleges. On the otherhand, the unions representingCUNY faculty were dismayedto see that no funding was builtin to the budget to addressretroactive raises. They are inthe process of negotiating anew contract after going with-out a raise for several years.

New York State Education BudgetFunds ELI, Hikes Aid to Charters

n CSA members took to the halls of the New York Legislature in Albany on Feb. 25,visiting a wide range of key legislators on several issues critical to educators.

Continued from Page 1

“I see trees of green, red roses, too/ I seethem bloom for me and you/ And I think tomyself/ What a wonderful world…”

Many of us are familiarwith these lyrics fromthe song, “What aWonderful World” by theartist Louis Armstrong.

When I speak with retirees about theirretirement, I hear the lyrics of thatsong. Our union, CSA and its RetireeChapter helped to make our world awonderful place due to the benefits andservices we receive.

After last month’s well-attended CSARC Outreach Workshop, I spoke withseveral retirees about how they areenjoying the benefits and programs ofthe Retiree Chapter. In essence, manysaid, “What’s not to like?” They men-tioned everything from the guest speak-ers at CSA and at the regional units tothe trips, seminars, athletic activities,theater, dining, arts, jewelry, mahjongand bridge classes we sponsor. Theylove the interaction with retired col-leagues in the NYC metropolitan areaand in other Regional Units around the

country. While all retirees appreciate finally having time to focuson our own lives, many of us still felt a need to be connected tothe union through meetings, workshops, receiving CSA newsblasts, newspapers and letters.

Many retirees have told me how unique the Retiree Chapter isin that we are still active in the union, with voting privileges thatmany retirees in other unions do not have. We are also deeplyinvolved in politics, through our own lobbying and CSA’s politicalaction committee, to protect our pensions and health benefits.

W e should all take a moment and acknowledge the contin-ued enhancement of our Welfare Fund benefits. It’s goodto review what our union and the Retiree Chapter has

provided and continues to provide. Some of my colleagues havehad hip or knee replacements. I had two knee replacements andhave benefited from supplemental physical and occupationaltherapy as well as using the supplemental home health aide cov-erage. We are enjoying an increase in the hearing aid reimburse-ment and the option to receive a new pair of eyeglasses yearly.

Besides receiving Retiree Welfare benefits, all retirees whojoined the CSA Retiree Chapter receive supplemental reimburse-ments without even applying for them. But remember that toreceive them you must join the Retiree Chapter.

Every month that we receive our pension, we should remindourselves of the long struggle the union has had to fight fordecent contracts that provide us with decent lifestyles, givingmany of us a chance at upward mobility which for many peopleis slipping away as powerful interests continue to attack unions.

CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Gayle Lockett

Thank Your Union

Ch a p t e r

We shouldremindourselvesof thefight thatbrought us here.

CSA NEWS14 April 2016

RETIREE

BY MANFRED KORMAN

In Sept. of 1956 I began my teaching careerin the New York City School System. Theresponsibilities were quite formidable. As anacademic subject teacher I was given a pro-gram with 28 teaching periods, five lunch

periods, two preparation periods, five adminis-trative periods and a homeroom class. The sec-ond Monday of each month we attended a fac-ulty conference that began at three o’clock andended at five o’clock. On one of the otherMondays in the month, we attended lengthydepartment meetings. Having a homeroom wasalso very time consuming. There were no com-puters and no Internet. Report cards were handwritten. We had to transcribe the subject classgrade from a class rating sheet to the individualreport card. Even with that workload, I fell inlove with the teaching profession.

My introduction to becoming a union mem-ber had little to do with all those demands.During my college years, there were many dis-cussions about unions, the right to strike andthe reasons for joining a union. During the1956-1957 school year I was approached by amore seasoned colleague who asked me tobecome a member of the Teachers Guild. TheGuild was founded in 1935. There was anotherunion, The Teachers Union, which was foundedin 1916. Neither was a collective bargainingagent for the New York City teachers. The lead-ership of these unions were teachers whowanted (hopefully) to improve the working con-ditions of their membership. I joined the Guild.It had about 2,500 members and their leaderwas a former social studies teacher, CharlesCogen. I joined because I realized that organi-zations such as The Elementary TeachersAssociation, the Junior High School TeachersAssociation or the High School TeachersAssociation had unique interests and would,therefore, never be able to become a single force.The Guild, on the other hand, had a member-ship encompassing the three school levels.

By 1960, union representation for New YorkCity teachers had changed dramatically. TheTeachers Guild joined forces with the SecondarySchool Teachers Association (the High SchoolAssociation and the Junior High School TeachersAssociation had merged) and they called them-selves the United Federation of Teachers. Thisunion moved quickly to establish itself as thecollective bargaining agent for the city’s publicschool teachers. A one day strike date was setfor November 7, 1960 to demand collective bar-gaining rights.

At that time I was my school’s chairman ofthe Staff Relations Committee. I realized thatthe staff had to be supportive of the one daystrike. People were afraid to strike. Who couldblame them? We did not know if we wouldhave jobs after it was over. Nevertheless, nearlytwo thirds of my colleagues went on strike. Iwas proud of our turnout. Although it took untilDecember 1961 for the UFT to become the col-lective bargaining agent, had we not gone onstrike in 1960, the results may have been verydifferent.

In February of 1967, I became an assistantprincipal at the school where I had served as ateacher. I became an active CSA member at thelocal level and then became a member of theCSA Executive Board and, in time, a DistrictChair. The union, by fighting for contracts thatprovided good salaries and benefits, helped mesecure a solid middle-class life. At the same time,it backed me up with the job security thatallowed me to be a thoughtful and strong edu-cator.

I recognized, and continue to recognize, thata union’s strength lies in the hands of an activemembership. Now, I am active in the CSARetiree Chapter. The retirees are a force to bereckoned with: We make ourselves available tosupport the needs of the union. We havebecome a political force, we have become lob-byists, and we are definitely making a difference.My union journey has been an important partof my life. Make it part of your journey.

TODAYINLABORHISTORY.COM

n The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) was formed to represent New York City public school teach-ers following a strike in 1960.

A Union Memberof 60 Years Reflects

Barr, AlyceBrown-Bush, JoyceBuscemi, MichaelByrum, EmilyCasal, Pamela

Denizac, IrisEyshinskiy, GennadiyGersham, DebraLofton, RodneyMoynagh, Ann

Mendez, WandaPeralta, RosaScandura, JosephStevens, WilliamThompson, Annquenetta

Welcome New Chapter Members

CSA NEWS / Retiree ChapterApril 2016 15

Membership letters for May 1, 2016 to April30, 2017 will be sent out soon. Please send adues check for $15. made out to "ManhattanUnit, CSARC,” to Stanley H. Wilson, UnitLeader, 400 East 56 St. Apt. 8M, New York NY10022.

Our next General Membership Meeting willtake place on May 6 at 1pm. It will be held atthe Manhattan Comprehensive Night and DayHigh School at 240 Second Ave. at the cornerof East 15 St. We will have a representative fromthe Fire Dept. to discuss What To Do If FireBreaks out In Your Home and a representativefrom the NYPD to discuss Driving and PedestrianSafety. Refreshments will be served. Please callor email me to confirm your attendance at(212) 421-2649 or shw29@verizon.net.

Our annual luncheon will take place onJune 8 at the National Arts Club at 12 pm.Flyers will be sent out about this event.

— STANLEY H. WILSON

MANHATTAN

By the time you read this, we will have hadour second annual Health Fair, thanks to Dr.Doug Hathaway and Sherri Tabatchnik. Ourannual general membership luncheon will beheld on June 22 at 12 pm at the Radisson Hotelin Freehold, NJ. There will be an open bar andour guest speaker will be Larry Wolfert, whowill hold a discussion and video on comediansof the 20th century. The event should be veryentertaining. Details were in the NJ Newsletterwhich was recently sent to you. Be on the look-out for our next international luncheon, whichwe hope to hold in July. Fran Capuana, our res-ident connoisseur, will be selecting our nextethnic food tasting event.

— LUCILLE VECCHIARELLI

NEW JERSEY

We had our second and final meeting of theyear on March 11 at Sarasota's Oriental Buffet.More than 50 attendees (a record) heard fromKatie Riston, representing Mobile PhysiciansServices, and CSA's Norman Sherman onWelfare Benefits and Medicare. Our meetingwill be in Jan. Meanwhile, members who needanything or have questions, call MikeNemoytin at (941) 383-0408. Have a happy andhealthy rest of the year!

—MIKE NEMOYTIN

SUNCOAST

Irwin Shanes, former Administrator of theCSA Health and Welfare Fund, will be present-ing a two-part workshop to the Queens unitentitled “Understanding Your Health Benefits.”The first session will be on April 28, and thesecond on May 5. You must attend both ses-sions. Details are in a flyer you should havereceived in the mail. Space is severely limitedso register as soon as possible.

On May 17, New York City CouncilmanBarry Grodenchik will be the keynote speakerat our annual general membership meeting atJonathan’s Restaurant, 2499 Jericho Tpk., NewHyde Park, from 12 – 4 pm. We are also work-ing on getting another speaker who has yet toconfirm as of this date. A light buffet will beserved at no charge to paid unit members.

If you have any questions, contact me at:stermanlen@aol.com. Visit our website at:www.csaqueens.org for up to date information.

— LEONARD B. STERMAN

QUEENS

I want to thank all those who attended ourAnnual Health Fair on March 4. We had a greatshowing and received much information. OnMarch 23, we had our annual trip, this year toVizcaya, where we had lunch at the famousCuban Restaurant Versailles and visited theGold Coast Railroad Museum. Thanks toNorman Sherman and his wife Susan forarranging these informative and special events.

—DR. LOIS TURETZKY

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

The Georgia Unit Annual Spring Meetingwill be held on April 26 at Coaxum Restaurantin Conyers, Ga. The cost is $20 per person andis due by April 10. The guest speakers are DougHathaway and Stephen Porter. For further infocontact Georgia Harrison at rossmis2@aol.comor (770) 693-2399.

—GEORGIA HARRISON

GEORGIA

Our next meeting date is June 7 at St. FrancisCollege at 10 am. Please mark your Calendars.

— RONALD JONES

BROOKLYN

Medicare and Explanation of Benefits: May 11Michael Fisher,CSA Retiree, will help you understand your Medicare Summary Noticesand how to avoid Medicare Fraud. Felice Hannah will explain differ-ences in Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans (MA) andExplanation of Benefits (EOB) for MA and Medicare Part D.

Getting Your Papers In Order: Sept. 7 A Long Term CareAttorney and Felice Hannah will present a workshop on AdvanceCare Planning and Estate Planning.

2016 OutreachWorkshops

Registration is $5. Fill out and mail the form below or register online at: www.csa-nyc.org. Coordinated by CSA Retiree Felice Hannah. All workshops will be 9 am –1 pm at CSA Headquarters, 40 Rector St., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10006.

A New Unit and MaybeEven A Resurrection

RC Regional Units

OUTREACH WORKSHOPSn Wed., April 13, 2016 n Wed., May 11, 2016

n Wed., Sept. 7, 2016

Name

Address

Home Number:

Cell Number:

E-mail Address:

Mail to: CSA Retiree Chapter, 40 Rector St., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10006.You will only receive a reminder prior to the event if you give usan active email address. Checks payable to CSA Retiree Chapter:$5. A SEPARATE CHECK MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR EACHWORKSHOP. For more information call (212) 823-2020, ext. 2075

After running Arts and Craft Classes at CSA for numerousyears, the Educational Cultural Committee thought it would bean excellent idea to set-up an Arts and Craft Show that wouldgive members the opportunity to display the artwork in a gallerytype environment. The plan is to run the show during the weekof June 20 – 24 in Founder’s Hall.

If you are a CSA Retiree Chapter Member and are interested inhaving your artwork displayed at the CSA Retiree Chapter Artsand Crafts Show at central CSA, please contact Michael Ebensteinat mebenstein@csa-nyc.org or mail to CSA Retiree Chapter, 40Rector Street, 12thFl., NY, NY 10006. Please provide all the infor-mation shown below.

Gallery Arts andCrafts Show

Name

n I’m interested in assisting plan and/or run this event.

E-mail address:

Home number:

Cell Number:

Media of your art work:

Number and size of pieces:

BY MARK BRODSKY

The CSA Retiree Chapter will be celebratingits twelfth anniversary in 2017. We now numberover 10,400 members, including spouses in 42states, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C. and in sev-eral foreign countries. We have 17 Unitsthroughout the country including the five bor-oughs, Central New Jersey, Long Island,Westchester, the Carolinas, Georgia, California,Arizona, Pennsylvania, Southeast Florida as wellas in Sarasota, and a chapter encompassingRockland, Orange and Bergen Counties.

We just added a new Unit in Northern NewJersey, making a total of 17 so far. We have alsobegun to explore starting a Unit in Connecticutand resurrecting a third Florida Unit that willencompass the Miami, Dade and Broward areas.Officers, Welfare Fund and Retiree ChapterOfficers and staff would attend and bring news

and information from Central, in addition toany local information and social events thatmight be planned.

Our goal is to advocate for former schooladministrators, supervisors and early childhoodeducators. We strive to protect the benefits youearned during your careers as well as continueto fight on behalf of the city’s 1.1 million schoolchildren. We support and educate our membersat all levels of government. We stay constantlyvigilant on the local and state level and we havebecome keenly aware that our focus can’t stopthere – that we must monitor national races andpolicies in other states that may impact ourmembers and retirees in general.

We are looking for members to assist in get-ting this effort off the ground so if you’re inter-ested in helping make this a reality, please con-tact Mark Brodsky at Mark@csa-nyc.org or (212)823-2020.

New ProgramUPCOMING FOR RETIREES

APRIL 2016

Periodicals

US POSTAGE PAID ATBrooklyn, NY 11201and Additional Mailing Office

Council of School Supervisors & Administrators, NYCNew York State Federation of School AdministratorsLocal 1 AFSA, AFL-CIO40 Rector St., NY, NY 10006

Printed on FSC certified paper

Borough Briefs / In The Schools Compiled by Corey Bachman

The Urban Institute of Math’sDebate Team won the 3rd Middle SchoolQuality Initiative / NY Urban DebateLeague competition at MS 45 in theBronx on March 5. Debating against 142teams from 25 schools, the UIM debaterssuccessfully argued that militaryrecruiters should be allowed on highschool campuses. In addition to their suc-cess as a school, the debaters also walkedaway with awards for sportsmanship,individual speaking skills and awards forindividual teams. The team is currentlyplanning to engage in scrimmages, inter-school visits, and demonstrations for our

community thatwill prepare themfor a champi-onship tourna-ment in June.“Our scholars havedemonstrated howdebate challengesthem to be suc-cessful criticalthinkers and prob-lem solvers,” saidAP Joseph Martin.“These skills willserve them well asthey move closerto being collegeand career ready.”

Debate Team Wins

PS 46, South Beach kindergarten stu-dents got a hands-on lesson on animalhusbandry at Pennsylvania’s QuiverFarms. The farm has an educational com-ponent, and the farmers visited theschool’s three kindergarten classes duringwhich the students were introduced tolive hens and roosters and learned aboutthe life cycle of a chicken. The next log-ical step was doing it themselves, whichthey embraced. "Our students took careof 12 eggs in an incubator and each daythey made sure they were turned andgiven water, and checked the temperaturein the incubator," said teacher LauraSomma. All of the chicks hatched andstudents fed and cared for them for sev-eral days. After that, the chicks werepicked up and brought back to the farm.

All Chicks Hatched!

Brooklyn (DIST. 13-23,32)

On Feb. 29, the WBA MiddleweightBoxing Champion Danny Jacobs visitedIS 383’s African-American HistoryAssembly to address students on how toovercome obstacles and share his anti-bul-

lying message. Mr. Jacobs was born inBrownsville, NY, was raised by his mother,a graduate of Erasmus High School.Growing up, he encountered many bulliesand found refuge in boxing. As an adult,he was diagnosed with cancer, and aftertreatment is now cancer free. The studentsat IS 383 raised $400 for Mr. Jacobs’ non-profit organization “Get in the Ring,”which focuses on cancer support, child-hood obesity and bullying.

P.S. 63Q’s fifth graderRoberto Quesada’s new book,Some Skyscrapers Are, waschosen as a citywide win-ner in the Ezra Jack KeatsBookmaking Competition.The contest gives stu-

dents in grades 3 -12the opportunity toexperience theproblem solvingand imaginativeskills involved increating a picturebook. “As difficult asit was to create thebook, I learned alot,” said Roberto.“Some of the sky-scrapers I learned

‘Get in the Ring!’

Students CreateSongs and Books

Staten Island (D-31)

Bronx (DIST. 7-12)

Queens (DIST. 24 - 30)

Students of the Fannie Lou HamerMiddle School in the Bronx celebratedBlack History Month on Feb. 22 at

Hostos Community College. Students metand heard speeches from NY DemocraticReps. José E. Serrano, D-NY, Charles B. Rangeland NY State Sen. José M. Serrano (D). “I wasvery enlightened by the whole experience,”said sixth grader Fatoumata Diallo. “Many ofus were inspired and we learned ways toensure equal rights for all.”

n The Urban Institute of Math’s debate team basks in victory at theMiddle School Quality Initiative/NY Urban Debate League competition.

n Middleweight boxing champ Danny Jacobs visited IS 383 inBrooklyn. Gail Irizarry, right, is Assistant Principal.

‘To Ensure EqualRights for All’

about were the Austonian located inDallas and the Chase Bank Tower inIndianapolis. “It was all worthwhile,” hesaid. Principal Diane Marino said thathigh-quality arts integration is crucial toa good school’s work. "The Arts are vitalto providing a well-rounded education,"she said.MS 53 students and staff are hard at

work on their fifth CD. After losing amember of the school community to vio-lence earlier this year, students and staffwanted to create a song that focused onthe need to support and help each other.Motivate is the result. “Whether you wantto believe it or not, we are all teachers andthe question is: what are you teaching?”said Principal Shawn Rux. The song alsofeatures rapper Dres from the hip hop duoBlack Sheep. To watch the music video,visit: https://youtube/sVJQ5bmJ5xA.